2020-01-13
Psalm 32:5 NLV
Toe God Dawid se owerspel en moord vergewe het, het hy geskryf: ‘Geseënd is die mens wie se opstand vergewe is, wie se oortredings afgeskryf is. Geseënd is die mens wie se sonde die Here nie toereken nie, in wie se lewe daar geen bedrog is nie! Toe ek oor my sonde stilgebly het, het my liggaam gekwyn van ellende, het ek die hele dag lank gekreun. Dag en nag was u hand swaar op my. My krag het verdwyn soos water in somerhitte. Maar ek het my oortredings bely, my sonde nie weggesteek nie. Ek het gesê: ‘Ek bely my opstand teen die Here.’ En my sonde en oortredings het U vergewe’ (verse 1-5 NLV). Onbelyde, onvergewe sonde sal jou aaklig laat voel. Wanneer jy dit egter bely het en God se vergifnis ontvang het, behoort jy baie beter te voel. Hoekom voel ons dus so sleg? Baie keer is dit as gevolg van die manier wat ons grootgemaak is. Ons het grootgeword met woorde soos: ‘Ek hoop jy voel sleg oor wat jy gedoen het!’ of ‘Skaam jou!’ As dit ‘n groot oortreding was, kon jy selfs vir ‘n hele ruk gehok gewees het. Ons is met ander woorde geprogrammeer vir langtermyn skuldgevoelens. Die goeie nuus is dat God se vergifnis nie so werk nie. Die oomblik wat jy jou sonde bely, word jy skoongewas daarvan en kan jy met volle vertroue voor God staan. Moenie toelaat dat Satan jou aanhou veroordeel nie. Weier om rond te loop met gevoelens van skuld en skaamte. Bely soos die Psalmdigter jou sondes voor God en ontvang sy vergifnis. Lewe dan vry, met selfvertroue en vreugde!
Sielskos: Eks 13-15; Matt 6:9-18; Ps 71:17-24; Spr 2:3-5
Psalm 32:5 NLT
When God forgave David for adultery and murder, he wrote: ‘When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long…Finally, I confessed my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said…”I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone’ (vv.3-5 NLT). Unconfessed, unforgiven sin will make us feel guilty and ashamed. But after we’ve acknowledged it, taken it to God and received His forgiveness, we shouldn’t continue to feel that way. So why do we? We can often be brought up to regret our actions, and people around us can continually remind us of them. Our mistakes can become part of our identity, so we see ourselves as failures. But because Jesus died and defeated sin, God no longer looks at us and sees sinners. Instead, He looks at us through Jesus and sees His beloved children made pure. When we’ve done something wrong, we can bring it to God and ask for His forgiveness. The Bible says that love ‘keeps no record of wrongs’ (1 Corinthians 13:5 NIV). God is love (take a look at 1 John 4), so God doesn’t keep a record of the things we’ve done wrong. The Bible says: ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1 NIV). The enemy wants us to feel guilty and ashamed so that we feel separated from God by our sin. He wants us to think we’ve messed up beyond repair, because that will stop us glorifying and serving God. But instead, we need to say the words of the psalmist: ‘You forgave me! All my guilt is gone.’ And then go out and live freely.
Exo 13-15; Matt 6:9-18; Ps 71:17-24; Prov 2:3-5
2020-01-12
Jude 24 MSG
Pick friends who respect your values; otherwise, you will end up under pressure to compromise your convictions to maintain their friendship. That’s too high a price to pay! Joseph said no to the sexual advances of his boss’s wife, and there’s a lesson for you in his story. There are people in the workplace who will push every button and probe every weakness you have, in order to bring you down to their level. And if they succeed, they’ll attack you rather than appreciate you. What should you do? Turn to God for help! “[He] will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV). When someone seeks to compromise your character, God promises to “make a way of escape” so you don’t have to succumb to temptation. Even if your decision results in you being penalized, alienated, or terminated, ask God for courage to do the right thing. His promise to you is: “Them that honour me I will honour” (1 Samuel 2:30). Remember, it’s better to be alone and walk with God than give in to temptation, violate His Word, and compromise your convictions by “going along to get along.” When you stand tall and do the right thing, you bring honor and glory to God. Jude writes, “To him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall…God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength…now, and to the end of all time” (Jude 24-25 MSG).
Soul food: Isa 61; Heb 12:2; Isa 35:3-10
Judas 1:24 DB
Kies vriende wat jou waardes respekteer; anders sal jy onder druk wees om jou oortuigings te kompromitteer om die vriendskap te onderhou. Dis ‘n te hoë prys om te betaal! Daar is mense in die werkplek wat jou knoppies sal druk en elke swakplek sal ondersoek, om sodoende jou na hulle vlak toe af te trek. Wanneer hulle dit regkry, sal hulle jou aanval, nie waardeer nie. Wat moet jy dus doen? Draai na God toe vir hulp! ‘…Hy sal keer dat die versoeking te sterk vir julle word. Midde-in die versoeking sal Hy vir ‘n uitweg sorg sodat julle kan volhou’ (1 Korintiërs 10:13 NLV). Wanneer iemand daarop uit is om jou karakter onder verdenking te bring, belowe God dat Hy ‘n uitweg sal bied sodat jy nie aan die versoeking hoef toe te gee nie. Vra God vir die moed om die regte ding te doen, selfs wanneer jou besluit tot straf, vervreemding of afdanking kan lei. Sy belofte aan jou is: ‘Ek eer net hulle wat My eer…’ (1 Samuel 2:30 NLV). Onthou, dis beter om alleen te wees en die pad met God te stap, as om tot versoeking toe te gee, sy Woord te oortree en jou waardes in gevaar te stel om sodoende die suksesleer te klim. Wanneer jy regop staan en die regte ding doen, bring jy eer en heerlikheid aan God. Judas skryf: ‘Ons dien ‘n wonderlike God. Hy is baie sterk. Hy kan sorg dat julle nooit in die sonde val nie… Aan die enigste ware God, ons Redder deur Jesus Christus, ons Here, behoort al die hemelse glorie en koningskap, die krag en die mag van altyd af, maar ook vandag en môre – ja, tot in die verste ewigheid. Vir seker! Amen’ (verse 24-25 DB).
Sielskos: Jes 61; Heb 12:2; Jes 35:3-10
Jude 24 NIV
Ever been in a situation where you knew the right thing to do, but the wrong thing was tempting? Each day we’ll face temptation to do things that aren’t God’s best for us. That temptation can come from our own desires, peer pressure, or the expectations society has of us. In these situations, we should turn to God for help. The Bible tells us that ‘no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it’ (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV). When someone seeks to compromise our character, God promises to give us a way out so we don’t have to give in to temptation. We also need to make sure we’re surrounding ourselves with friends who want to encourage us to do the right things, rather than pressuring us to do what everyone else is doing. Sometimes, choosing to do the right thing can make us unpopular. We might lose friends. But it’s better to be alone and walk with God than to give in to temptation, go against His Word, and compromise our character. When we stand tall and do the right thing, we bring honour and glory to God. To live God’s way rather than the world’s way takes courage. It’s not easy. The easy route is just fitting in with everyone else. But God will give us the courage to do the right thing. Jude writes, ‘To him who is able to keep you from stumbling.’ God’s able to keep us from stumbling, so are we willing to be courageous and do the right thing?
Isa 61; Heb 12:2; Isa 35:3-10
